This sequel to Female Demon Ohyaku is where the heaven begins. Quick-Draw Okatsu is the cream de la cream of violent female swordplay movies. Junko Miyazono returns in different role as a woman raving for revenge. Although she gives a very solid performance she’s actually the weakest link in the cast. The first super delighter is Reiko Oshida, Toei’s purest gift to the female action genre. Appearing in one of the early roles of her career, she plays the mysterious samurai girl character with her trademark energy and delinquent attitude. Both girls handle the sword well, but are naturally overshadowed by the sword god Tomisaburo Wakayama. This time he’s not casted as the comic relief or respected yakuza boss but his own badass himself. The lone wolf, a one man army.

The final part the trilogy feels almost like a remake of Quick-Draw Okatsu. The storyline starts from the beginning, just like last time, with Miyazono playing a new lead character. While the trick didn’t hurt the second part, third time is starting to feel a bit too much already. The basic concept – Junko with a sword – works of course, but quality has gone down from the terrific previous intalment. The last 25 minutes offers a satisfying conclusion, though, and the supporting cast features some good actors such as the charming Reiko Oshida (doesn’t kill anyone this time) and Tatsuo Umemiya.

Synapse presents all three films nicely. The first film shows edge here and there, but it’s not terribly distracting. Otherwise I can’t really find anything to complain about. The sequel even avoid this problem, and looks just amazing. The same applies to the third film. All transfers are very sharp. Audio is clean on all films as well. As mentioned before, the covers are fully reversible with the original poster arts on the reverse side. Extras are sparse but okay; Chris D commentary for the first film, and trailers, poster galleries, biographies and 4 page booklets for each film.

Note: while the first film is more or less pinky violence - although not quite as we know the genre - the sequels are pure chambara. Basically these reviews are in the wrong thread.

Kazuhiko Yamaguchi is slowly but unsurely becoming one of my favourite directors. I’ve enjoyed every film I’ve seen from him, and Blossoming Night Dreams is no exception. While not as good as Worthless to Confess, this opening part in the series is an enormously entertaining girl gang pop film. The cast is excellent with Toei’s crown jewel dynamo Reiko Oshida playing the lead role, and reliable genre actors such as Yukie Kagawa and Nobuo Kaneko giving support. The most impressive supporting performances are given by Tatsuya Umemiya and Junko Miyazono, who plays her role as the leader of the gang with charisma that reminded me of Junko Fuji.

Exploitation Digital’s dvd is okay. Soft, definitely, but no other major problems. Colours are quite alright, even if a bit reddish at times, and edge enhancement doesn’t exist. Progressive, too. Of course this could’ve been better, but I don’t really see reason to complain too much. Exploitation Digital is one of the few companies in the world that care enough to even release these great films on dvd.

Yes.You know things are getting a little dried up when you have to go for Nikkatsu stuff.

Good point about Umemiya in the third Okhatsu film.Him and Miyazono have pretty good chemistry together so i'll probably get it eventually just not gonna rush out.

Enjoyed the Blossoming review.I'm still gonna stand by my original feeling that that it's overall better then Worthless To Confess except for the ending.
So much quality fanservice in Blossoming Night Dreams.Reika riding that bike in the beginning.I need to rewatch it again tonight :twisted:

Yes.You know things are getting a little dried up when you have to go for Nikkatsu stuff.

hehe, true, although lately I've managed to find a couple of Nikkatsu movies that I've really enjoyed (Retreat and Painful Bliss). I also have high hopes for pop director Koyu Ohara's Pink Hip Girl, which I have on order.

Classique wrote:
Enjoyed the Blossoming review.

Thanks. Good to hear there's still at least one person reading my writings. I probably angered all the Nikkatsu fans already, lol.

Classique wrote:
So much quality fanservice in Blossoming Night Dreams.Reika riding that bike in the beginning.

Oh yeah, and a glorious panty shot, too (didn't want to "spoil" that with a creencap. But that bicycle shot in in the beginning is definitely my favourite).

btw, the film crew must be huge Ken Takakura fans since in the first film Reiko is doing the girl gang greeting in front of a Takakura movie poster, and in Worthless to Confess they're watching Abashiri Prison... which remided me of: In Nikkatsu's Painful Bliss not only is there a Takakura poster, but the film also features the theme song from Worthless to Confess at the end.

Yes.You know things are getting a little dried up when you have to go for Nikkatsu stuff.

hehe, true, although lately I've managed to find a couple of Nikkatsu movies that I've really enjoyed (Retreat and Painful Bliss). I also have high hopes for pop director Koyu Ohara's Pink Hip Girl, which I have on order.

Classique wrote:
Enjoyed the Blossoming review.

Thanks. Good to hear there's still at least one person reading my writings. I probably angered all the Nikkatsu fans already, lol.

Classique wrote:
So much quality fanservice in Blossoming Night Dreams.Reika riding that bike in the beginning.

Oh yeah, and a glorious panty shot, too (didn't want to "spoil" that with a creencap. But that bicycle shot in in the beginning is definitely my favourite).

btw, the film crew must be huge Ken Takakura fans since in the first film Reiko is doing the girl gang greeting in front of a Takakura movie poster, and in Worthless to Confess they're watching Abashiri Prison... which remided me of: In Nikkatsu's Painful Bliss not only is there a Takakura poster, but the film also features the theme song from Worthless to Confess at the end.

It's funny how iconic Ken Takakura really is/was.He's probably been referenced in more movies then he's been in and more then any actor ever.
From Delinquent Girl Boss to even Postmen Blues his image is still present to this day.

Considering how small the amount of toei pv fans their are i'd warrant a guess their are even less Nikkatsu fans to offend.

Btw speaking of the bike riding how about Reika up against that rock on the beach in Blossoming Night Dreams?
Pretty hot scene.Much better then Miki digging her feet in a pile of dirt in Girl Boss Revenge.

While were waiting i'm gonna get off my butt and post some caps from the first Gincho Watadori film this weekend.
Meiko spends most of the second movie in a kimono but in the first she gets to wear alot of cool outfits.

I love 1,2,3,5 and enjoyed 4 and 6 but felt they paled a little in comparison.

I do remember the third having one of the better Wakayama appearances.

Part 5 would have had his best appearance if they woulda showed him wielding a sword in all his skilled glory a bit more.

Btw is you avatar from Taifu Club?I need to finish watching that one of these days.
Botched the sub alignment for the custom I made and could only take it for about half the movie.Gonna get off my arse and re-do it again one of these years.

The fourth film in the seven part Sukeban series is also the last one directed by Norifumi Suzuki. Although not quite as good as Sukeban gerira (Girl Boss Guerilla) but it’s another highly enjoyable exploitation piece. Suzuki serves his usual mix of action and silly humour, this time spiced with some sadistic violence. The cast is quaranteed to make any genre fan cheer; Miki Sugimoto, Reiko Ike and Ema Ryoko all leading a girl gangs of their own, and Toei’s number one bad guy Bin Amatsu as the treacherous villain. Tatsuo Endo and Yoko Mihara and also make brief appearances.

Exploitation Digital’s has given the film a satisfactory release. The image not very sharp but looks rather pleasing and doesn’t feature any major problems (except the sides. Look at the caps and you’ll see something weird going on. But unless you have a zero overscan TV you won’t be able to notice anything). However, what makes this dvd a must buy (aside from the film itself) is the new 14 min Norifumi Suzuki interview. Although not as indepth as it could be it’s still a great pleasure to finally hear the director speak. I believe this is the first time ever Suzuki appears on dvd extras. The disc also contains a nice photo gallery. The trailer is not original, but a disappointing new promo.

HungFist wrote:Sometimes pink comes from the weirdest of directions; this time from 150 km to west from me. The Swedes are releasing Sadao Nakajima’s Journey to Japan (1973), starring Christina Lindberg. There’s even a good change it will be released in Finland, too (Nordic dvd releases are rarely limited to just one country). But even a Swedish disk with Swedish subtitles only would be a notable step up from unsubbed R2J's (which for this film does not excist, as Studio S Entertaiment's release is a Världspremiär på DVD!).

They are also releasing Sex & Fury. Both discs are coming in Summer 2008

The review on NY Times website calls Beauty’s Exotic Dance: Torture an immoral masterpiece. That is exactly what this concluding part in Noboru Tanaka’s Showa Era trilogy (preceeded by A Woman Called Abe Sada and Watcher in the Attic) is. Each film in the trilogy inspects the themes of obsession and insanity, and this one is the strongest of them. The storyline, based on autobiographical writings by Shuu Ito, is about an artist who finds his inspiration in torture. After his wife leaves him he hooks up with a former prostitute (Junko Miyashita).

Tanaka ignores all the opportunities for cheap shocks and sleaze, and instead plays strong on a psychological level. This makes the film 10 times more powerful than the childish sm fares directors like Konuma and Nishimura keep churning. Tanaka makes every attempt to avoid easy solutions and typical genre twists. There are no caricature characters in this movie. Tanaka was one of the most audio-visually talented Japanese directors of his time and it shows here.

The weakest part of the film is the beginning. Tanaka uses flashbacks to show the past events, while at the same time building the relationship between the main characters in present day. It works but doesn’t have too much emotional effect. This changes after the first 30 minutes when characters have been thorougly introduced and Tanaka can advance to the next phase. He moves the film very slowly, paying great attention to details. There are several scenes with long takes and almost no dialogue at all. Music is only used in key scenes, and even then ir could be a song hummed by one of the characters. The result is hypnotic.

The cast is well chosen. Hatsuo Yamaya is believable as the obsessed artist who is starting to lose his touch of reality. But, more importantly, this is a standout movie for Junko Miyashita. She's already proven before that she’s possesses some acting skills, and here her performance is decent to say at least. The physical requirements of the role are also extreme; she has to lie in snow half naked for long periods and endure icy water in some of the film’s lengthy torture sessions.

Geneon’s dvd features a typically good transfer no notable problems. Audio sounds good, too. And, for once, they’ve also managed to design a stylish cover art. Original trailer and 4 page booklet are the only extras.

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This is the movie you thought Nikkatsu would never be able to produce. Koyu Ohara’s Pink Hip Girl is a serious contender for the ’cutest youth film ever’. First of all, it’s got the rarest of things; a good screenplay. Not only does the storyline make a lot of sense, the dialogue is often terrific. No less impressive is the acting. While nobody gives bad performances the young lead, 19 year old Kahori Takeda, is simply perfect. Ohara’s direction is highly enjoyable and he manages to avoid practically every problem that typically plagues the genre. Even the sex, which is not dirty at all this time, is formatted into the story perfectly. As a final touch the film’s pop soundtrack and especially the theme song is exhilarating.

Geneon’s dvd is the only dvd available till the end of times. Thankfully the guality is not bad. The transfer looks a bit messy in the beginning but it soon gets better. Sharpness in never that good, but it’s not distracting either. Basic transfer that gets the job done. Audio is fine. Geneon’s usual extras are included; trailer and a 4 page booklet. It’s a real shame they haven’t released the two sequels on dvd.

Third positive Nikkatsu (mini) review from Hung in a row? You wish. It's Hana to hebi time.

Hana to hebi: Jigoku hen (1985)

Hmm... schools girls with axes. That’s a pink film element that only a very special director could ruin. The honor goes to genre specialist Shogoro Nishimura, who skillfully turns the film into crap. No surprises quality wise here, really. The start is boring, the slighty interesting but badly executed part follows (the axes are just one brief scene), and the the remaining 50 minutes is your usual Oniroku Dan / Nikkatsu sm entertainment. I guess this, too, will find its audience. Jigoku hen is the first part in the 80s Flower and Snake series (preceeded by Masaru Konuma’s 1974 foul classic).

Last edited by HungFist on 09 Apr 2008, 18:02, edited 1 time in total.

First, the big surprise; Shiiku hen features approximately two minutes of full blooded character developement. It may not be much, but I assure you, it’s a rare treat in a Nikkatsu sm flick. Otherwise Shiiku hen, which doesn’t seem to have an english language title due to the fact that writer / bootlegger and overseas information bank Thomas Weisser failed to notice its existense, is a standard effort. The lack of new ideas is obvious, and the boring warehouse setting doesn’t help either. There’s only one memorable scene, plus a soundtrack that has a tiny bit of attempt. Neither are major merits.

Last edited by HungFist on 09 Dec 2008, 00:24, edited 2 times in total.

This movie had potential. Rope maniac dentist targets Ran Masaki. You’d think even a lesser director would be able to deliver a decent exploitationer from those ingredients. But not Shogoro Nishimura. The film is strangely unpassionate and doesn’t even have a good offensive swing. That is perhaps also a relief, but also surprising considering some the director’s earlier gross out achievements. But, the dentist theme is still something, and the film’s got a tiny bit of good 80s vibe. The opening credits use the kick ass music from Hebi to muchi (also 1986) but to much lesser effect.

Ultimate Rope Discipline is the final instalment in the 80s Hana to hebi series, and for the most part it’s just what you’d expect; a mixture of boring and unexciting. However, this time I can’t help myself. The last scene is such a great, mean sprited bravura of immoral movie making that it alone deserves this film a viewing. Other highlights come in form of an under-used but impressively threatening and moody soundtrack. Occasionally the director (Masayuki Asao) also shows some eye for visuals. Such a shame the rest of the film doesn’t rise too far above the low genre standards. Still, easily the most watchable film in the series.

Last edited by HungFist on 09 Dec 2008, 00:25, edited 2 times in total.

Tatsumi Kumashiro impressed me with the excellent Painful Bliss: Final Twist, but here he doesn’t quite hit the target. Pleasure Campus is a hyper active high school slapstick rape comedy. It’s based on manga, and you can see it (the characters for example are more like from a cartoon than anything usually shot in live action). Kumashiro also uses constant shaky, handheld camera and lots of jump cuts. In the beginning the film feels hilarious and outrageous – utterly offensive, too – but later the endless yelling gets a bit boring. Moving the story out from the school surroundings after the first third is bad move, too. The ending is quite good, however. At 64 min the film is a good one time watch, but nothing too special.

Last edited by HungFist on 09 Dec 2008, 00:24, edited 1 time in total.

Ichijo's Wet Lust earned director Kumashiro the Kinema Junpo prize. The film is a somewhat character driven slice of life story of a stripper, with the real life artist Ichijo Sayuri as herself in a supporting role. The problem is that miss Sayuri is actually more interesting than any of the main film’s characters. Her Red Peony Gambler stage show is worth seeing. As a whole the pic is not badly made, in fact it doesn’t fail majorly on any area. But, where’s the catch? The main characters are rather unlikable and although it’s obvious Kumashiro is aiming at realism it doesn’t make the film much more captivating. The cinematography is pretty nice, though. I also have a strange feeling I might enjoy this more on a second viewing. So, take my comments with a reservation and keep in mind that this this is indeed a highly praised movie.

Nikkatsu has decided to honor this film with some extras. Included are Filmographies, Original Trailer, Photo Gallery, Behind the Scenes pictures and Pictures of Sayuri Ichijo. The transfer is excellent, too. Cinemalta will be releasing this film in France later this year (in their Kumashiro double pack).

Here's a little peek at what kind of extras you'll find on the Ichijo disc. Aside from the trailer they are just stills, but fans can certainly appriciate them. Behind the scenes footage and pictures are very rare when it comes to Nikkatsu's roman movies.